Rules · Lesson
Hit the Wrong Ball? Here's What Happens
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Rule 6.3c says you can't hit a ball that isn't yours. In stroke play, it costs two strokes. You then have to go back and play your own ball. Strokes with the other ball are ignored. In match play, you lose the hole. If two players hit each other's balls, whoever hit the wrong one first loses the hole. One exception: there's no penalty when the other ball was drifting in water, whether in a penalty area or a puddle of temporary water. Check your ball before you swing.
Step by step
- Check it's your ball before you hit.
- Stroke play: two strokes.
- Go back and play your own ball.
- Wrong-ball shots don't count.
- Match play: loss of hole.
Why it works
The rules require you to play your own ball from the tee to the hole. Each player's score depends on the strokes made with that one ball, so a stroke at another ball breaks that link. Checking your ball before you swing is the only step that fully prevents the penalty, because the penalty applies once you have made the stroke.
Common mistakes
- You assume the ball in the fairway is yours because it is near where you aimed.Walk up and confirm the ball before you set up to it, even if it looks like the right place.
- You play a ball of the same brand and number as your playing partner's without a way to tell them apart.Put your own mark on your ball before the round and tell your playing partners what it is.
- After hitting a wrong ball in stroke play, you carry on from where it finished.Add the two-stroke penalty, ignore the strokes made with the wrong ball, and go back to play your own ball from its original spot or find it.
How you'll know it's working
- Before every shot, you look at your ball and see your own mark on it.
- When you and a partner play the same type of ball, you each state the number and mark before the round starts.
- On the card, a wrong-ball hole in stroke play shows two penalty strokes and none of the wrong-ball strokes.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Mark your ball with a bold, distinctive pattern so you can identify it from a distance.
Harder: Play a round with a partner using the same ball model and number, and identify your ball every time before you play it.
Common questions
What is the penalty for hitting the wrong ball in golf?
In stroke play it is two strokes, and you must then play your own ball. In match play you lose the hole.
Is there ever no penalty for hitting the wrong ball?
Yes. There is no penalty if the other ball was moving in water, either in a penalty area or in temporary water.
